


A Day Out

by steviatea



Category: Better Call Saul (TV), Breaking Bad
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Drug Addiction, Road Trips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-14 10:40:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28794060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/steviatea/pseuds/steviatea
Summary: Victor invites his girl out on a work day.
Relationships: Victor/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 6





	A Day Out

**Author's Note:**

  * For [abqbitch](https://archiveofourown.org/users/abqbitch/gifts).



> A gift for my awesome friend! I hope you enjoy!

Ruby fills her lungs with a deep, shuddering breath. There's a bottle before her, small and made of orange-tinted plastic containing a prescription that does not belong under her name. It's a recent purchase that she's made, illicitly of course, though she hasn't yet dipped into its contents. Logically, she knows that it's a dangerous road to go down, but on another level, she's dreadfully tempted to get high on what’s inside of the bottle. It's an urge that she's fighting, however, if not on the physical level, then on a mental level for certain.

She's alone in her house, and nobody is there to stop her, should she break the constraints of her own sobriety; it's a frightening thought, that she's got so much power to dive into the deep end. She can feel her heart thumping against her chest as she stares down the bottle of pills in her hand. However, before she even manages to unscrew the cap, she's startled by a buzzing sound and the chirp of a ringtone coming from her pocket. Grabbing her phone, she quickly checks to see who's calling her.

_ It's Victor. _

Ruby doesn't hesitate to answer, bringing her cell phone up to her ear. "Victor," she starts, greeting him, "Hey! What's going on?"

"I have to take a drive today," Victor answers on the other side of the receiver, quick to get right to the point. "Nothing intense, just gotta get to some dead drops for Fring. I was wondering if you'd want to tag along?"

Ruby steals one more hesitant glance at the unopened bottle of pills. She takes a deep breath, and then replies to Victor, "That sounds like fun." Her heart is beating fast and her nerves are going wild from such awful temptation, but the distraction that Victor has just offered her is quite welcome. Plus, she won't deny that she very much enjoys spending time alongside Victor.

"Cool," Victor replies, "I'll be over soon to pick you up."

That one short sentence serves as Ruby's motivation to put down the bottle she'd been holding. She decides, in that moment, that if she really wants to get high, she can do so later. Ruby then stands up and makes the move to get herself ready for the day she's planned with Victor.

* * *

When Victor pulls his car up in front of Ruby's house, Ruby's already outside waiting for him. The hot New Mexico sun beams down upon her as she steps over to the car. "Victor," she greets, "It's so good to see you. Thanks for coming to get me."

Victor, in spite of his own tendency toward quiet stoicism, has a small smile upon his face as reaches over to his right side, pushing open the door for her. "You too, babe," he replies, and though he may not be very wordy in his greeting, it's evident from his tone that he's glad to be around his girl again. As Ruby steps into his car, buckling herself in, he leans in to press a kiss to her cheek. It brings a smile to her face and she turns to face him once she's buckled in, kissing Victor again, this time on the lips. Ruby smiles against his lips, taking in the scent of his cologne and loving every moment of it. When she pulls away to break the kiss and catch her breath, the smile lingers on her face.

"So, where are we heading out today?"

Victor breathes out a dry chuckle. "Some middle of fuckin' nowhere place out in the countryside." As he begins to drive out, Ruby's house gradually fades off into the distance. Victor's got the air conditioning going and Ruby finds it quite relieving that he does; the sun can get pretty scorching out here in the southwest. "You wanna stop anywhere before we drive out there? Maybe get a coffee, or something?"

"Yeah, that'd be great," Ruby replied. "I could go for some coffee." Caffeine would hopefully give her a fraction of that fix she's been craving, all while staying on the sober side. She keeps her eyes on her surroundings as Victor drives the two of them through Albuquerque. Watching the buildings go by, her thoughts return to those pills; she swallows dryly and takes a deep breath, keeping an eye out for the coffee shop.

"You didn't have any other plans today, did you?" asks Victor as he rounds a corner, turning onto the street where Ruby's favorite coffee shop is. "'Cause this is probably gonna take all day."

Ruby's pulled from her thoughts as she turns her head to face Victor. "What?" She asks, more of a reaction to his words than a question itself. "Oh, no. I didn't have anything planned for today."

Victor appears somewhat surprised by her answer, going by the shift in the expression on his face. "You sure? It's not too late to back out."

That question makes Ruby scoff a little. "Victor, are you trying to get rid of me?" The question doesn't have any real malice behind it; it edges on being playful, if anything, because she can very well figure that Victor wouldn't have invited her if he hadn't wanted to spend time together.

"Not at all," Victor is quick to confirm, shaking his head as he drives into the coffee shop's parking lot. "I mean, I just don't wanna bore you all day, driving out into the boonies and shit."

"You won't bore me," Ruby reassures him. When Victor finds a parking place and the car comes to a parked halt, she leans over toward the driver's seat and gives him a sweet peck on the lips. That peck turns to more when Victor reciprocates, cupping her cheeks in his hand as he kisses her quite ravenously. This goes on until Ruby happens to open her eyes and notice a woman outside walking in front of the car, wide-eyed and startled by their semi-public display of affection. Ruby lets out a nervous little laugh, pulling back after one more quick kiss. "Hey, we're gonna be out in the desert, right? Tons of privacy there, if you catch my drift."

A smile turns up on Victor's lips, and it's more than evident that he's quite interested in that suggestion. "I  _ do _ catch your drift. You're giving me plenty of ideas already." His hand moves to hers, thumb tracing over the back of her hand rather affectionately. His eyes flit to the coffee shop, and then dart back to Ruby to meet her adoring gaze. "How about some coffee, for now?"

"Coffee is good," Ruby says, and swinging open the door beside her and unbuckling, she steps out into the warm outdoors, closing the door behind her. Once Victor is out of the car, her hand joins his, their fingers interlocked as the two walk together, showing a more  _ subtle _ form of affection reserved for the public.

The aroma of the coffee shop is intoxicating when Ruby and Victor step innside. Carrying the scent of freshly brewed coffee and the sound of guests chattering about, the place feels so  _ alive. _ It wakes her up in a way she needs to be, the reminder that there are other people nearby and that there's intrinsic complexity in their individual lives. She momentarily feels so much less alone than she has all day, standing here with Victor's hand in her own. As the two wait in line, she can’t help but lean into him a bit, resting her head against him and closing her eyes for just a moment. Then, the barista asks them for their order, and Ruby’s eyes open, her focus shifting.

* * *

Ruby's nearly finished with her takeout coffee by the time that the city of Albuquerque begins to scatter into more rural territory. The further away from ABQ that they drive, the more  _ Wild West _ things start to feel. There's a low-volume tune playing on the radio, some old timey country song that blends into the background as Victor drives onward. Resting her head on the passenger seat's headrest, she idly listens to the music as she looks out to the distant mountains that Victor's driving toward. There's something so mystical about the open sky of the desert and its mountainous landscape; no wonder they call this place the  _ Land of Enchantment. _ It's fitting.

Amidst her scenery-gazing, however, a perturbing thought begins to weed its way back into her mind:  _ what would be more enchanting than using out here? _ It hits her hard, makes her uncomfortable to so much as dwell on it. Taking a final finishing sip of her coffee, she turns to Victor.

"You know, I'm really glad you invited me out here today. I  _ definitely _ needed to get out of the house," she says to the man beside her, a grateful smile upon her face, though her anxiety is becoming a bit more evident in her features.

Victor is quick to pick up on this. "Oh, yeah?" He asks her in return, appearing quite curious if not a little bit concerned. "Any reason for that?"

Ruby bites her lip in hesitation, deciding to come clean about the struggles she'd been facing earlier in the day. "Yeah, actually. I,  _ um… _ to be honest, I was pretty close to using, before you called. You know,  _ relapsing." _

"Shit," Victor murmured solemnly beneath his breath, now seeming to be more concerned than ever. It's rare that he expresses himself so noticeably, but it's a sign that he really is worried for Ruby. It makes her feel some kind of way. Looking back to Ruby, Victor begins to ask, "Did you…?"

She's quick to shake her head. "No, no. I'm sober. When you called, I put that shit down. I guess what I'm saying is that it means a lot that you're here with me now. I don't wanna think about what I'd be doing otherwise."

Victor takes one hand off of the steering wheel and places it upon Ruby's. His hold is steady and reassuring. He's never been a man of many words, and Ruby wonders if he might be struggling with what to say. What  _ would _ one say in reaction to such heavy news? Though, much to Ruby's reassurance, he eventually says, "I'm glad you're here with me, too, Ruby."

* * *

The sun hangs a little bit lower in the sky, and Albuquerque is long behind Ruby and Victor. They're fully out in the desert now, and Victor's pulling the car into the sandy pathway resembling the driveway of a dilapidated, aged house that hasn't seen inhabitants in what must be decades. Ruby gets out of the car with him, if only to stretch her legs after she's been sitting in the car for so long. She watches as he flips the lid of what appears to be an old, dried out water well of some sort, and examines the content. He comes back with a bag shortly after.

"What's in there?" Ruby asks, just out of curiosity. "Cash?"

Victor makes a cursory glance at the contents of the bag; it's a dusty brown burlap that looks pretty sturdy. "Yep.  _ Fring's _ money."

"Cool," Ruby replies, her eyes shifting to Victor's face to admire his features. Leaning back against his car, she glances around the area. The wide, expansive desert surrounding them has not a single human soul, save for the two of them. "So, hey, it looks like we're totally alone out here," she muses out loud, her gaze returning to Victor. "Nice and private, huh?"

"Sure is," Victor replies. Walking back to the car, he swings open the back of the car and places the money in with a dull  _ thump. _ He approaches Ruby then, eying her with a look that's almost  _ hungry. _ "So, you wanna take a little break from driving and have a little fun?"

"I'd love that." Ruby grins, and when Victor pushes her against the car and goes in for a rather passionate,  _ enthusiastic _ kiss, she certainly doesn't object.


End file.
